Wilson’s ice time

Why did Colin Wilson play 10 minutes against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night?

I asked Barry Trotz this question earlier today. Basically, he said it was a match up thing. With the Pens playing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin every other shift, Trotz was focused on matching his checking line against Pittsburgh’s scorers.

Wilson’s ice time has been a real mystery. He has four points in six games, and has shown some offensive flare. His drop-pass to Patric Hornqvist last night was both heady and creative. Anyway, Wilson has averaged 12:07 of ice time this year, which means he leads the Preds in points-per-minute.

“Colin is a really talented individual, and some games he loses focus,” Trotz said. “He’s going to have to play more minutes for us.”